Most electronic devices include a power supply with a regulated voltage. Typically, semiconductor based electronic devices operate at relatively low direct current voltages such as five volts or less. However, much of the electrical energy to power electronic devices is made available at substantially larger voltages. For example, residential electrical power in the United States is nominally rated at 120 volts AC. Also, automotive power is nominally 12 volts DC, which is often subject to relatively high voltage transients during engine start and other changing load conditions.
Power supplies are generally employed to match the requirements of electronic devices to the available conditions of electrical power. Many electronic devices, for example hand held electronics, powered by batteries nominally within the voltage range of the electronics employ power supplies to compensate for non-linear discharge characteristics of batteries and to extract as much energy from the batteries as possible.
A power supply typically includes a voltage regulator to maintain voltage within a range of output values, e.g., five volts plus or minus two percent. If a voltage goes above the range of output values, it may damage the semiconductor device. Similarly, if the voltage goes below the range of output values, voltage compliance can be lost on one or more components of the electronic device, which may cause the device to stop operating. Also, changes in the output voltage of a power supply may induce noise into subsequent processing by other electronic devices and components.
Most voltage regulators include at least one voltage reference. The voltage reference provides a reference voltage that is typically compared against the output of the voltage regulator. Feedback circuitry is employed to adjust (stabilize) the output of the voltage regulator in regard to the reference voltage. Usually, a bandgap circuit is employed as the reference voltage. The term “bandgap” generally describes or refers to the energy difference between the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band in insulators and semiconductors. To accommodate a voltage regulator that has a plurality of output voltages, the voltage reference is typically based on a minimum bandgap voltage.